Violent clash: APC accused Bayelsa government of alleged cover up of killing of two members in Brass Island

The Bayelsa state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Bayelsa state government of alleged attempt to cover up the last week killing of two members of the party during a violent clash in Brass Island of Brass local government area of the state.

According to the APC, the attempt by the Bayelsa state government through the deputy governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah to exonerate the caretaker chairman of Brass local government area, Victor Isaiah and his army of thugs for the gruesome killing of two APC members is wicked and criminal.

The APC, in a statement issued and signed by the Bayelsa state publicity secretary, Hon. Doifie Buokoribo Ola, condemned Gboribiogha for being biased and not being bold enough to caution the caretaker chairman.

According to Buokoribo: “Friday’s press conference by the deputy governor has largely confirmed our earlier claim that he, Gboribiogha, had deployed his relationship with the navy wrongly to intimidate APC members in Twon-Brass.

“It was so disappointing that the deputy governor could not tell the world that it was members of his party who attacked Comrade Oputongha Pogo, an APC member, at the Ada-Ama square on Wednesday, the 15th day of August, 2018.

“As a well-bred Nembe man, we expected objectivity from Gboribiogha by stating things as they are or not saying anything at all. But conversely he tried to absolve the perpetrators of their crimes.”

“It is to say the least sad that the deputy governor intentionally failed to acknowledge the death of the two youths in his press statement, because his conscience was hurting him for the evil perpetrated by the caretaker chairman and his boys.”

The Bayelsa state APC publicity secretary also berated the deputy governor for not carrying out the moral obligation on him to visit the family of the bereaved.

“For years we have been bedeviled by sea piracy and the deputy governor, despite being a retired senior naval official, has not done any tangible thing to curb the ugly trend; yet he is condescending so low as to publicly conceal a glaring evil,” he added.

Doifie reiterated that PDP should stop playing politics with human lives but rather deliver the dividend of democracy to the electorates and the rural populace and stop stifling Bayelsans with hunger and pain.

It would be recalled that the Bayelsa state deputy governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah had, on Friday offered reasons why curfew was slammed on Twon Brass in Brass local government area of Bayelsa state following last week violence in the area which resulted in the killing of two persons.

The curfew, which was imposed by the caretaker chairman, Hon. Victor Isiah, takes effect from 9pm to 6am was to rein in some rampaging hoodlums in the area which violent conduct led to the loss of lives and destruction of property in the area valued at millions of naira.

The state deputy governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John-Jonah (rtd) in Yenagoa at a news conference said the curfew was imposed to avoid further violence and urged the people to remain law abiding, as according to him, the state government will take all necessary lawful measures towards maintaining peace, law and order in the area.”

He said: “It has come to the knowledge of the state government that on Wednesday 15th August, some hoodlums at Ada-Ama Square, Twon Brass attacked peace loving members of the community with knives, guns and other dangerous weapons and injuring several persons and destroying property vauled several millions of naira.

“The said persons kept the entire Twon Brass community under siege for several days and perpetrated mindless violence in the community. Security personnel eventually arrested some of the hoodlums with guns and other dangerous weapons along with very substantial sums of money. Men of the Nigerian Police only succeeded in bringing the situation under control on Wednesday 22nd August.